Michigan State University
Central Michigan
Spartans Overcome Weather And Chippewas In Victory
5/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 8, 2002
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Michigan State baseball team survived a two and a half hour rain delay as it notched its 30th win of the season with a 10-7 victory over Central Michigan on Wednesday, May 8 in Mount Pleasant. With the win, MSU improved to 30-15 on the season, while CMU dropped to 22-21. This is the first season since 1993 in which the Spartans have recorded 30 victories, and the first 30-win season for MSU head coach Ted Mahan.
Throughout the first inning, a steady rain fell at Theunissen Stadium. Central Michigan opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, scoring a pair of runs on a Danny Gibbons home run to right field. The Spartans opened the second inning with a James Moreno (Holt) single. David Miller (Whitehall) was next up and took the count to 3-1. Miller swung and missed the next pitch, with the bat flying out of his hands. At that point, the umpire decided to delay the game due to rain.
Two and a half hours later, play resumed and Miller singled the first pitch to center field. Moreno, however, was thrown out attempting to advance to third as the Spartans failed to score in the inning. In the bottom of the second, the Chippewas added a single run.
Michigan State took the lead in the fourth inning, scoring five runs on five hits and one Chippewa error. The Spartans loaded the bases with two hits and an error on the CMU shortstop. Jared Koutnik (Milwaukee, Wis.) then hit a hot shot which the third baseman was unable to handle. It was ruled to be a hit and drove in Miller. Charlie Braun (Grosse Pointe) followed with a bases-loaded double, driving in two runs. Bob Malek (Canton) and Chris McCuiston (Birmingham) would follow with a RBI groundout and RBI infield single, respectively. Of the five runs in the inning, just two were earned. In the fifth inning, the Spartans added one run without a hit. After two walks and a sacrifice bunt, Travis Gulick (East Lansing) hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Kyle Geswein (Dayton, Ohio).
The Spartans added three runs in their half of the seventh. Moreno and Gulick each hit RBI singles and Jim Duffy (Carleton) added a sacrifice fly. MSU added a single run to increase the lead to 10-3. Central Michigan rallied with four runs in the bottom of the eighth. Spartan righthander Nick Bates (Blissfield) entered the game with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth and a 10-6 lead. He retired the next two Chippewa batters with a sacrifice fly and a strikeout to get the Spartans out of the inning with a 10-7 advantage. In the ninth inning, Bates did not allow a hit and struck out the last batter of the game, earning his first save of the season.
Michigan State relievers combined to pitch eight innings, allowing five runs, but only two of which were earned. Tim Day (West Chester, Ohio), Jon Huizinga (Wayland), Pat Gill (Grandville), Ryan Golem (Dearborn) and Bates allowed six hits and struck out nine CMU hitters. Day earned the win by pitching two innings, allowing one unearned run, one hit and striking out two to improve to 8-3 on the season. Over three innings, Huizinga allowed just one hit and struck out two. Jeff Opalewski took the loss for Central Michigan to drop to 1-2 on the season.
McCuiston and Moreno finished the game going 4-for-4 from the plate. Braun and Gulick each posted two RBI.
The Spartans will return to action as they host Ohio State in a four-game Big Ten series this weekend at Lansing's Oldsmobile Park. Friday's game (May 10) will begin at 7 p.m. The Saturday doubleheader (May 11) will start at 4 p.m. with Sunday's single game starting at 1 p.m.
Michigan State 10, Central Michigan 7WP- Tim Day (8-3)LP- Jeff Opalewski (1-2)
Score By Innings R H EMichigan State 000 510 310 10 13 4Central Michigan 210 000 040 7 8 3
